Oberoi Udaivilas

Arriving at the Oberoi Udaivilas by night was the most jaw-dropping hotel arrival experience I had ever had. (I’d yet to experience the arrival at FS Tented Camp…) Upon exiting the vehicle, you enter a world of torchlit courtyards, candelit domes, onyx pools, and gold leaf, and cobalt alcoves. It’s all so fantastic that it is just one hair short of Disney . . . but the quality of the craftsmanship and its roots in Mewari vernacular make this a place of absolutely transcendent beauty, the highest quality build of any of the properties we experienced in India.

We’d booked the lake view rooms that open onto the semi-private moat-like pool that surrounds the resort, but thanks to Virtuoso were upgraded to suites with private pools. I did take a look at one of the original rooms we’d booked, and while they are nice, they are not especially spacious, and are not as beautifully furnished as the suites, which really are impeccably furnished and designed, worth the extra spend if necessary.

As at the Oberoi Amarvilas, everywhere you look there’s some amazing tribute to design features of the royal architecture of Udaipur—floral designs made of inlaid reflective metal just as you see decorating the local palace, and sun motifs derived from the ruling family’s insignia. I found myself wanting to explore and wander through the covered walkways, the lush grounds, the courtyards and galleries and domed chambers—it just goes on and on, with fountains here, a swimming pool there, with peacocks frequently the only inhabitants in sight.

Our favorite area was the pool deck at the spa, where you have tremendous views across Lake Pichola to the (ungainly white block that is the) Lake Palace, and much more impressive, the City Palace rising up above the water. On the ground floor of the spa building, there’s an adequate, if not especially large or impressive, fitness center.

Service was perfect throughout—from meals to housekeeping to the pool.

We arranged a guide through the concierge for sightseeing in Udaipur, which was quite easily the cleanest, least touristy, and most enjoyable of any of the major Indian cities we visited. Even so, the atmosphere of the Oberoi Udaivilas is so otherworldly and unique, so unprecedented, that I wanted to spend most of my time there—whether in the incredible comfort and quality of the suite, the privacy of its decent-sized pool, or the aesthetic dazzle of the public areas.